When should I file estate taxes? Does 9-month deadline apply to trusts?

The 9-month deadline you're referring to applies to filing Form 706 (United States Estate Tax Return), but it's important to understand that most estates don't actually need to file this form. For 2025, the federal estate tax exemption is $13.61 million per individual, so with an estate valued at $850,000, you're well below the threshold that would require federal estate tax filing. As for trusts, it depends on what kind of trust your father established. If it's a revocable living trust, those assets are still considered part of the taxable estate. If it's an irrevocable trust that was properly established and funded during his lifetime, those assets might not be counted as part of the estate for tax purposes. Remember though, even if you don't need to file federal estate tax returns, you may still have state estate or inheritance tax obligations depending on where your father lived, and you'll need to file a final income tax return for your father for the year he passed away.

After going through a similar situation with my mom's estate last year, I found using taxr.ai was super helpful for figuring out all the estate tax stuff. I was totally lost with all the different forms and deadlines until a friend recommended https://taxr.ai to help me sort through my mom's financial documents and figure out exactly what needed to be filed. It analyzed all the trust documents and gave me clear instructions about which tax forms were actually required for our situation. Turned out we didn't need to file the Form 706 either, but there were other important forms I wouldn't have known about otherwise.

I need to update my previous skepticism about taxr.ai. After our conversation here, I decided to try it for my brother-in-law's estate (he passed unexpectedly and left quite a mess). I uploaded his trust documents and various financial statements, and the system pointed out that some of his assets weren't properly titled to the trust, which would have caused major headaches down the road. It also clarified which assets were subject to the 9-month filing timeline and which weren't. The best part was getting clear guidance on handling the income from his rental properties for the partial year. I was about to make a mistake on how that income needed to be reported. Definitely worth checking out if you're handling an estate.

If you need to contact the IRS about any estate tax questions (which I highly recommend), save yourself hours of frustration by using https://claimyr.com instead of calling directly. When my husband died, I needed specific guidance on handling his IRA distributions and estate tax issues. I spent DAYS trying to get through to the IRS on my own with no luck. I saw this service mentioned in another thread, and you can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. It got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of the hours I was wasting on hold. The agent walked me through exactly what forms I needed for our trust situation and confirmed we were under the filing threshold.

I need to apologize for my skeptical comment above. After dealing with busy signals and disconnections for THREE DAYS trying to get clarification about my late wife's estate taxes, I broke down and tried Claimyr. Within 35 minutes, I was talking to an actual IRS estate tax specialist who confirmed our trust assets were properly structured and gave me specific guidance about the step-up in basis for the inherited stocks. She also clarified that while the 9-month deadline didn't apply to us (since we're under the exemption threshold), we still needed to file certain paperwork within that timeframe to document the property value for future capital gains purposes. I would have missed this completely and potentially cost our children thousands in future taxes.

Just wanted to add - don't forget about your state's requirements. While you may not need to file federal estate tax returns, some states have much lower thresholds. I'm in Oregon, and we had to file state estate tax forms for my father-in-law's estate even though it was well under the federal limit.

Trust assets only avoid the 9-month estate tax filing if they're in an irrevocable trust established well before death. If your dad had a revocable living trust (the most common kind), those assets are still considered part of his taxable estate. But with $850k total value, you're nowhere near the federal filing threshold anyway.

I'm sorry for your loss, Lucas. Dealing with estate matters during grief is incredibly challenging. Based on what you've shared, with an $850,000 estate value, you're well below the federal estate tax filing threshold of $13.61 million for 2025, so you likely won't need to file Form 706. However, don't overlook these important steps: 1) File your father's final income tax return (Form 1040) for 2025 by April 15, 2026, 2) If the estate generates any income after his death, you may need to file Form 1041, and 3) Even though you're in Texas (no state estate tax), you'll still need to handle property transfers through the county. Regarding the trust - if it's a revocable living trust (most common), the assets are still considered part of his estate for tax purposes, but the trust should help you avoid probate proceedings. Make sure all assets were properly titled to the trust before his passing, as any assets not in the trust may need to go through probate. Consider consulting with a probate attorney for at least one session to ensure you're handling everything correctly - it could save you significant headaches later.